Novel method of deodorization for fat odor and composition obtained by the same

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a novel deodorizing composition and a novel deodorizing method. A composition is provided in which oily odors have been deodorized by containing a xanthophyll or other carotenoid in an oil such as a highly unsaturated fatty acid or compound containing a highly unsaturated fatty acid as a constituent fatty acid, and a deodorizing method, for oily odors, comprising containing a carotenoid in an oil is provided.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a novel deodorizing method, for oilyodors, comprising the combining of a carotenoid and an oil comprised ofa highly unsaturated fatty acid or compound having for a constituentfatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid and, more particularly, atleast one compound selected from the group consisting of an alcoholester of a highly unsaturated fatty acid, a triglyceride having for aconstituent fatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid, and aphospholipid having for a constituent fatty acid a highly unsaturatedfatty acid, and to a composition on which a novel deodorization methodhas been practiced.

2. Background Art

The pathway by which highly unsaturated fatty acids are biosynthesizedin humans consists of two representative systems, namely the omega-3system and the omega-6 system (omega indicates the number of carbonatoms to the carbon atom where the first double bond is located countingfrom the terminal methyl group of a fatty acid). Known examples ofomega-6 highly unsaturated fatty acids include linoleic acid,γ-linolenic acid, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid and arachidonic acid, whileknown examples of omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids includeα-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid.

These highly unsaturated fatty acids are involved in regulation ofmembrane fluidity, as major constituents of cell membranes, witharachidonic acid, for example, accounting for roughly 10% of the fattyacids that compose important organs such as the blood and liver (forexample, the composite ratios of fatty acids in phospholipids of humanblood consist of 11% arachidonic acid, 1% eicosapentaenoic acid and 3%docosahexaenoic acid) and, while they exhibit various functions relatedto the body's metabolism, they also fulfill the important role of beingdirect precursors of prostaglandins.

More recently, in particular, attention has been focused on the role ofarachidonic acid as a nutrient of newborns and infants and as aconstituent fatty acid of intrinsic cannabinoids (2-arachidonoylmonoglycerol, anandamide) demonstrating neuroactivating action.Arachidonic acid and compounds having arachidonic acid as a constituentfatty acid were also recently clearly demonstrated to prevent decreasesin learning ability accompanying aging by the administration ofarachidonic acid, and/or compounds having arachidonic acid as aconstituent fatty acid, to aged rats subjected to a Morris water mazetest as reported in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.2003-48831 entitled, “Composition having Preventive or AmeliorativeAction on Symptoms or Diseases Caused by Decreased Brain Function”.

The omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids of eicosapentaenoic acid(abbreviated as EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (abbreviated as DHA) areknown to have numerous physiological functions, including preventiveeffects on lifestyle diseases such as arteriosclerosis and thrombosis,carcinostatic action and learning ability enhancement action, andattempts are being made to use them in pharmaceuticals, special healthfoods and so forth.

Omega-6 highly unsaturated fatty acids are biosynthesized in the body byusing linoleic acid as a precursor, while omega-3 highly unsaturatedfatty acids are similarly biosynthesized using α-linolenic acid as aprecursor. However, since humans are unable to biosynthesize linoleicacid and α-linolenic acid, in the case of, for example, omega-6 highlyunsaturated fatty acids using linoleic acid as a precursor, they areconverted to γ-linolenic acid, dihomo-γ-linolenic acid and arachidonicacid after ingesting plant foods and repeatedly desaturating andelongating the carbon chain. Thus, arachidonic acid, EPA and DHA arenormally adequately biosynthesized if foods rich in linoleic acid andα-linolenic acid are ingested. However, as the functions of enzymesinvolved in biosynthesis are depressed in patients with lifestylediseases, persons susceptible to these diseases, infants and theelderly, these highly unsaturated fatty acids tend to be deficient,thereby making it desirable that they be ingested directly as oil orfat.

Highly unsaturated fatty acids are fatty acids that have 18 or morecarbon atoms and 2 or more double bonds, and are easily auto-oxidizedresulting in the generation of an oxidation odor. Typical known examplesof methods based on a deodorizing principle include: (1) adsorption(activated charcoal, zeolite), (2) dissolution (deodorizing agent suchas silica gel), (3) degradation (biodegradation, oxidative degradation(ozone O₃), hydrolysis (photocatalyst OH⁻), ionic degradation (oxygencluster ions) or combustion (oxidative catalysis, direct combustion)),and (4) coagulation (removal by surrounding with a high molecular weightcompound).

Physical deodorization in the manner of activated charcoal is effectivea deodorizing method for oils, and deodorizing operations areincorporated in the purification process for using oil or fat in foods.However, in the case of oils containing a high content of highlyunsaturated fatty acid, the oily odor cannot be completely removed as isclear from the example of fish oil, thus making it necessary tocontinuously endure the oily odor if these are to be routinely ingestedto maintain health. In addition, in the case of implementing high-puritydeodorization with the objective of permitting routine ingestion, costsincrease to prevent this deodorization from being used practically.

Although the oily odor at the time of ingestion can be prevented byencapsulating oils, due to the aftertaste produced after ingestion, itis necessary to actually deodorize the oil itself. Although other knownmethods of deodorization include neutralization (an offset method usinga plurality of different odors) and masking (covering up the originalodor with a different odor), there are problems with using a certainpreferential odor (or fragrance in the case of masking) for use in afood product, and a fragrance that is soluble in the oil is required,there is a need to develop a completely new deodorizing method.

Thus, there is a need to develop a novel deodorizing method, along witha composition in which that novel deodorizing method is implemented,that is suitable for application to foods routinely used as oilscomprising a highly unsaturated fatty acid or compound having for aconstituent fatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid, and moreparticularly, at least one compound selected from an alcohol ester of ahighly unsaturated fatty acid, a triglyceride having as a constituentfatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid and a phospholipid having asa constituent fatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent

Publication No. 2003-48831

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Thus, the present invention relates to a novel deodorizing method foroily odors comprising the combining of a carotenoid and an oil comprisedof a highly unsaturated fatty acid or compound having for a constituentfatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid, and more particularly, atleast one compound selected from the group consisting of an alcoholester of a highly unsaturated fatty acid, a triglyceride having for aconstituent fatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid, and aphospholipid having for a constituent fatty acid a highly unsaturatedfatty acid, and to a composition on which a novel deodorization methodhas been practiced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As a result of conducting extensive studies on lipid-soluble materialsobserved to have deodorizing effects on highly unsaturated fatty acidsor compounds having for a constituent fatty acid a highly unsaturatedfatty acid, and more particularly, at least one compound selected fromthe group consisting of an alcohol ester of a highly unsaturated fattyacid, a triglyceride having for a constituent fatty acid a highlyunsaturated fatty acid and a phospholipid having for a constituent fattyacid a highly unsaturated fatty acid, the inventors of the presentinvention surprisingly determined that carotenoids have deodorizingeffects.

Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a noveldeodorizing method for oily odors comprising combining a carotenoid witha highly unsaturated fatty acid or compound having for a constituentfatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid, and more particularly, atleast one compound selected from the group consisting of an alcoholester of a highly unsaturated fatty acid, a triglyceride having for aconstituent fatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid and aphospholipid having for a constituent fatty acid a highly unsaturatedfatty acid, and a composition on which novel deodorization has beenimplemented.

Thus, the present invention provides a composition on which a noveldeodorizing method for oily odors has been implemented that contains acarotenoid in an oil. Moreover, the present invention provides a noveldeodorizing method for oily odors comprising adding a carotenoid to anoil.

In the aforementioned composition or method, the oil is preferably ahighly unsaturated fatty acid or compound containing as a constituentfatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid, examples of which include analcohol ester of a highly unsaturated fatty acid, a triglyceride havingas a constituent fatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid, and aphospholipid having as a constituent fatty acid a highly unsaturatedfatty acid. The aforementioned highly unsaturated fatty acid is, forexample, an omega-6 highly unsaturated fatty acid and/or an omega-3highly unsaturated fatty acid and/or an omega-9 highly unsaturated fattyacid.

Examples of the aforementioned omega-6 highly unsaturated fatty acidinclude 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (linoleic acid)18:2ω6,6,9,12-octadecatrienoic acid (γ-linolenic acid)18:3ω6,8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid (dihomo-γ-linolenic acid)20:3ω6,5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (arachidonic acid)20:4ω6,7,10,13,16-docosatetraenoic acid 22:4ω6 and4,7,10,13,16-docosapentaenoic acid 22:5ω6, examples of theaforementioned omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acid include9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid (α-linolenic acid)18:3ω3,6,9,12,15-octadecatetraenoic acid (stearidonic acid)18:4ω3,11,14,17-eicosatrienoic acid (dihomo-α-linolenic acid)20:3ω3,8,11,14,17-eicosatetraenoic acid20:4ω3,5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentaenoic acid20:5ω3,7,10,13,16,19-docosapentaenoic acid 22:5ω3 and4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid 22:6ω3, and examples of theaforementioned omega-9 highly unsaturated fatty acid include6,9-octadecadienoic acid 18:2ω9,8,11-eicosadienoic acid 20:2ω9 and5,8,11-eicosatrienoic acid (Mead acid) 20:3ω9.

In the aforementioned composition or method, a triglyceride having for aconstituent fatty acid an omega-6 highly unsaturated fatty acid isextracted from microbial cells obtained by culturing a microbe belongingto the genus Mortierella, for example. An example of the aforementionedtriglyceride having for a constituent an omega-3 highly unsaturatedfatty acid is fish oil. Examples of the aforementioned carotenoidsinclude carotenes or xanthophylls such as β-carotene, α-carotene,β-cryptoxanthin, α-cryptoxanthin, γ-carotene, lycopene, lutein,fucoxanthin, capsanthin, zeaxanthin, phytofluene, phytoene,canthaxanthin and astaxanthin.

In the aforementioned composition or method, the ratio of carotenoid tohighly unsaturated fatty acid that composes the oil is preferably0.00001 to 0.1, for example 0.0001 to 0.01, and more preferably 0.001 to0.01. The aforementioned composition is, for example, a functional food,nutritional supplement food, special health food or geriatric food.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to a novel deodorizing method for oilyodors comprising the combining of a carotenoid and an oil comprised of ahighly unsaturated fatty acid or compound having for a constituent fattyacid a highly unsaturated fatty acid, and more particularly, at leastone compound selected from the group consisting of an alcohol ester of ahighly unsaturated fatty acid, a triglyceride having for a constituentfatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid, and a phospholipid havingfor a constituent fatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid, and to acomposition on which a novel deodorization method has been practiced.

A highly unsaturated fatty acid or compound having for a constituentfatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid can be used for the targetoil of the present invention. Highly unsaturated fatty acids indicate afatty acid having 18 or more carbon atoms and 2 or more double bonds,examples of which include omega-6 highly unsaturated fatty acids such as9,12-octadecadienoic acid (linoleic acid) 18:2ω6,6,9,12-octadecatrienoicacid (γ-linolenic acid) 18:3ω6,8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid(dihomo-γ-linolenic acid) 20:3ω6,5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid(arachidonic acid) 20:4ω6,7,10,13,16-docosatetraenoic acid 22:4ω6 and4,7,10,13,16-docosapentaenoic acid 22:5ω6.

Examples of omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids include9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid (α-linolenic acid)18:3ω3,6,9,12,15-octadecatetraenoic acid (stearidonic acid)18:4ω3,11,14,17-eicosatrienoic acid (dihomo-α-linolenic acid)20:3ω3,8,11,14,17-eicosatetraenoic acid20:4ω3,5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentaenoic acid 20:5ω3,7,10,13,16,19-docosapentaenoic acid 22:5ω3 and4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid 22:6ω3.

Examples of omega-9 highly unsaturated fatty acids include6,9-octadecadienoic acid 18:2ω9, 8,11-eicosadienoic acid 20:2ω9 and5,8,11-eicosatrienoic acid (Mead acid) 20:3ω9.

For example, if the highly unsaturated fatty acid is arachidonic acid,all compounds having arachidonic acid as a constituent fatty acid can beused.

Examples of compounds having arachidonic acid as a constituent fattyacid include calcium salts, sodium salts and other salts of arachidonicacid. In addition, other examples of the aforementioned compoundsinclude lower alcohol esters of arachidonic acid such as arachidonicmethyl ester and arachidonic ethyl ester. In addition, triglycerides,phospholipids and glycolipids having arachidonic acid as a constituentfatty acid can also be used. Furthermore, the present invention is notlimited to the aforementioned examples, and all compounds havingarachidonic acid as a constituent fatty acid can be used.

In the case of considering application to foods, triglycerides areparticularly desirable for the form of the oil. Although there arehardly any naturally-occurring supply sources of triglycerides thatcontain arachidonic acid, triglycerides containing arachidonic acid canalready be obtained industrially, and can be supplied as edible oils.Thus, a triglyceride containing triglyceride in which all or a portionof the constituent fatty acids is arachidonic acid (triglyceridecontaining arachidonic acid) can be used for an oil of the presentinvention. There are no limitations on the ratio of arachidonic acid tototal fatty acids that compose the triglyceride that containsarachidonic acid, and an oily odor attributable to arachidonic acid,which is one type of highly unsaturated fatty acid, can be effectivelydeodorized by addition of a carotenoid.

In order to use an oil (triglyceride) containing arachidonic acidindustrially, a microbe having the ability to produce arachidonic acidcan be cultured, and oil can then be extracted from the resultingmicrobial cells.

Examples of microbes having the ability to produce oil (triglyceride)having arachidonic acid as a constituent fatty acid include microbesbelonging to the genuses Mortierella, Conidiobolus, Pythium,Phytophthora, Penicillium, Cladosporium, Mucor, Fusarium, Aspergillus,Rhodotorula, Entomophthora, Echinosporangium and Saprolegnia.

Examples of microbes belonging to the genus Mortierella, subgenusMortierella include Mortierella elongata, Mortierella exigua,Mortierella hygrophila and Mortierella alpina.

Examples of specific strains include Mortierella elongata IFO8570,Mortierella exigua IFO8571, Mortierella hygrophila IFO5941 andMortierella alpina IFO8568, ATCC16266, ATCC32221, ATCC42430, CBS219.35,CBS224.37, CBS250.53, CBS343.66, CBS527.72, CBS529.72, CBS608.70 andCBS754.68.

All of these microbial strains can be acquired without restriction fromthe Institute for Fermentation, Osaka (IFO), US American Type CultureCollection (ATCC) and Centrralbureau voor Schimmelcultures (CBS). Inaddition, Mortierella elongata SAM0219 (Fermentation Research Institute,Deposit No. 1239), which was isolated from the soil by the researchgroup of the present invention, can also be used.

In order to culture a microbe having the ability to produce an oil(triglyceride) having arachidonic acid as a constituent fatty acid, thespores or mycelia of that microbial strain a pre-culture liquid obtainedby preliminary culturing thereof are cultured by inoculating into aliquid or solid medium. In the case of a liquid medium, althoughtypically used carbon sources such as glucose, fructose, xylose,saccharose, maltose, soluble starch, molasses, glycerol or mannitol canbe used for the carbon source, the carbon source is not limited tothese.

Examples of nitrogen sources that can be used include organic nitrogensources such as yeast extract, malt extract, beef extract, casaminoacids, corn stiplica, soybean protein, defatted soybeans, cottonseedresidue and other naturally-occurring nitrogen sources, as well asinorganic nitrogen sources such as sodium nitrate, ammonium nitrate andammonium sulfate. Trace nutrients including inorganic salts such asphosphates, magnesium sulfate, iron sulfate and copper sulfate as wellas vitamins can also be used as necessary. There are no particularrestrictions on the concentrations of these medium components providedthey do not inhibit microbial growth. Typically, in terms of practicaluse, the concentration of the carbon source should be 0.1 to 40% byweight, and preferably 1 to 25% by weight. The starting amount ofnitrogen source added is typically 0.1 to 10% by weight and preferably0.1 to 6% by weight, and the nitrogen source may be added during thecourse of culturing.

Moreover, an oil (triglyceride) having an arachidonic acid content of45% or more can be produced and used as an oil by controlling theconcentration of carbon source in the medium. A specific example ofculturing consists of a microbial growth period during the 2nd to 4thday of culturing followed by an oil accumulation period starting afterthe 2nd to 4th day of culturing. The starting concentration of thecarbon source should typically be 1 to 8% by weight and preferably 1 to4% by weight, the carbon source should be added gradually only betweenthe microbial growth period and the first part of the oil accumulationperiod, and the total amount of the gradually-added carbon source shouldbe 2 to 20% and preferably 5 to 15%. Furthermore, the amount of thecarbon source gradually added between the microbial growth period andfirst part of the oil accumulation period should be such that the carbonsource is added corresponding to the starting concentration of thenitrogen source and then added so that the carbon source concentrationin the medium reaches zero starting on day 7 of culturing, preferablystarting on day 6 of culturing, and more preferably starting on day 4 ofculturing.

Although varying according to the microbe used, the culturingtemperature of microbes having the ability to produce an oil(triglyceride) having arachidonic acid as a constituent fatty acid is 5to 40° C. and preferably 20 to 30° C., and highly unsaturated fatty acidcan be produced by continuing culturing at 5 to 20° C. after growing themicrobes by culturing at 20 to 30° C. The ratio of highly unsaturatedfatty acid to the total fatty acids produced can also be increased bycontrolling the temperature in this manner. The pH of the medium is 4 to10 and preferably 5 to 9, and culturing is carried out by fermentationwith aeration and agitation, shaking culture or static culture.Culturing is normally carried out for 2 to 30 days, preferably 5 to 20days and more preferably 5 to 15 days.

Moreover, an oil (triglyceride) having for a constituent fatty aciddihomo-γ-linolenic acid or an omega-9 highly unsaturated fatty acid canbe used as a target oil of the present invention. A method haspreviously been developed for efficiently producing oil (triglyceride)having dihomo-γ-linolenic acid as a constituent fatty acid (JapanesePatent No. 3354581). Moreover, with respect to methods for efficientlyproducing an oil (triglyceride) having for a constituent fatty acid anomega-9 highly unsaturated fatty acid (6,9-octadecadienoic acid(18:2ω9), 8,11-eicosadienoic acid (20:2ω9) or 5,8,11-eicosatrienoic acid(20:3ω9)) as well, a method has been developed for producing an oilhaving for a constituent fatty acid a ω9 highly unsaturated fatty acidby using a mutant, in which A12 desaturase is decreased or deficient,obtained by subjecting a microbe belonging to the genus Mortierellasubgenus Mortierella to mutagenic treatment (Japanese Patent No.3354582, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-57085, JapaneseUnexamined Patent Publication No. 5-91886).

Moreover, an oil having for a constituent fatty acid an omega-3 highlyunsaturated fatty acid can also be provided as a target oil of thepresent invention. Specific examples of such oils include tuna oil,sardine oil, bonito oil, cod oil and linseed oil. Moreover, oils canalso be used that have been obtained by culturing a microbe capable ofefficiently producing oil having an omega-3 highly unsaturated fattyacid as a constituent fatty acid and extracting the resulting oil.Examples of microbes capable of producing oils having an omega-3 highlyunsaturated fatty acid as a constituent fatty acid include thosebelonging to the genuses Crypthecodenium, Thraustochytrium,Schizochytrium, Ulkenia, Japonochytrium and Haliphthoros.

An oily odor can be decreased, alleviated or deodorized by combining acarotenoid with a highly unsaturated fatty acid or compound having for aconstituent fatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid, and moreparticularly, at least one compound selected from the group consistingof an alcohol ester of a highly unsaturated fatty acid, a triglyceridehaving for a constituent fatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid, anda phospholipid having for a constituent fatty acid a highly unsaturatedfatty acid. Specific examples of carotenoids include β-carotene,α-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, α-cryptoxanthin, γ-carotene, lycopene,lutein, fucoxanthin, capsanthin, zeaxanthin, phytofluene, phytoene,canthaxanthin and astaxanthin.

The blending ratio of carotenoid required for deodorizing the oily odoris 0.00001 to 0.1, preferably 0.0001 to 0.01 and more preferably 0.001to 0.01, as the ratio of carotenoid to the total amount of highlyunsaturated fatty acid that composes the oil.

There are unlimited possibilities with respect to the applications of ahighly unsaturated fatty acid or compound having a highly unsaturatedfatty acid as a constituent fatty acid, and more particularly, analcohol ester of a highly unsaturated fatty acid, triglyceride having asa constituent fatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid andphospholipid having as a constituent fatty acid a highly unsaturatedfatty acid, and these can be used as raw materials or additives offoods, beverages, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. There are norestrictions whatsoever on their purpose of use or amount used.

Examples of food compositions include general foods as well asfunctional foods, nutritional supplement foods, premature infantformulas, baby formulas, baby foods, foods for pregnant women andgeriatric foods. Examples of foods that contain oil includenaturally-occurring foods that inherently contain oils such as meat,fish and nuts, foods to which oils are added during cooking such assoup, foods that use oil as a heating medium such as doughnuts, oilyfoods such as butter, processed foods to which oil is added duringprocessing such as cookies, and foods on which oil is sprayed or coatedduring finishing processing such as hard biscuits. Moreover, oils canalso be added to agricultural product foods, fermented foods, livestockproducts, marine products or beverages which do not contain oil.Moreover, the aforementioned applications may also be in the form offunctional foods or pharmaceuticals, examples of which include processedforms such as enteral nutritional preparations, powders, granules,troches, internal medicines, suspensions, emulsions and syrups.

EXAMPLES

The following provides a more detailed explanation of the presentinvention through examples. However, the present invention is notlimited to these examples.

Example 1 Sensory Test of Deodorizing Effects on Oily Odors

A control oil was prepared by mixing 64% by weight of an oil(triglyceride) containing 25% arachidonic acid as a constituent fattyacid and 36% by weight of a purified fish oil (triglyceride) containing46% DHA as a constituent fatty acid. Astaxanthin and other pigments wereadded to the control oil at the concentrations shown in Table 1 toprepare five types of sample oils. The deodorizing effects on the odorwere assessed by 15 panelists in the form of a sensory test. The odorsof the sample oils were evaluated to one of five grades based on thefollowing standards while assigning a score of 0 to the odor of thecontrol oil. TABLE 1

Sample (2) Sample (3) Sample (4) Sample (5) Sample (1) Astaxanthinβ-carotene Gardenia Food Dye Panelist Astaxanthin 0.1 mg/1488 1 mg/1488Red Red No. 106 No. 1 mg/1488 mg mg mg 1 mg/1488 mg 1 mg/1488 mg 1 2 2 10 0  2 1 2 2 0 −1  3 2 2 −2 1 0  4 1 1 −1 1 2  5 1 1 2 0 0  6 1 1 1 1 −2 7 1 2 1 1 1  8 0 1 1 0 2  9 0 1 2 1 1 10 1 2 2 0 1 11 0 2 −1 0 −1 12 21 1 0 0 13 1 2 1 0 0 14 1 2 1 0 0 15 1 2 0 0 −2 Average 1.00 1.60 0.730.33 0.07 score

On the basis of these results, the carotenoids of astaxanthin andβ-carotene were observed to demonstrate definite deodorizing effects.

Furthermore, as the sensory tests were conducted immediately afteradding astaxanthin or other pigment to the control oil, it is clear thatthe effects observed were not the result of antioxidative effects ofastaxanthin based on the possibility of preventing the accompanying odorof oxidation as a result of preventing oxidation of the oils duringstorage, thereby constituting the discovery of a completely new findingin the form of deodorizing effects.

Example 2 Production of Softgels Containing Arachidonic Acid-ContainingOil, DHA-Containing Oil and Astaxanthin-Containing Haematococcus AlgaeExtract

Water was added to 100 parts by weight of gelatin and 30 parts by weightof food additive glycerin followed by dissolving at 50-60° C. to preparea gelatin film. Next, 62.5% by weight of oil (triglyceride) containing25% arachidonic acid as a constituent fatty acid, 36% by weight ofpurified fish oil (triglyceride) containing 46% DHA as a constituentfatty acid, and 1.5% by weight of Haematococcus algae extract containing4.7% astaxanthin were mixed in the presence of flowing nitrogen toprepare the capsule contents. Using the gelatin film and the contents asprepared above, capsule formation and drying were carried out inaccordance with ordinary methods to prepare softgels containing 248 mgof contents per capsule.

1. A composition for which an oily odor has been deodorized comprisingthe containing of a carotenoid in an oil.
 2. A composition according toclaim 1 wherein, the oil is a highly unsaturated fatty acid or compoundcontaining as a constituent fatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid.3. A composition according to claim 1 wherein, the highly unsaturatedfatty acid or compound containing as a constituent fatty acid a highlyunsaturated fatty acid is an alcohol ester of a highly unsaturated fattyacid, a triglyceride having as a constituent fatty acid a highlyunsaturated fatty acid, or a phospholipid having for a constituent fattyacid a highly unsaturated fatty acid.
 4. A composition according toclaim 1 wherein, the highly unsaturated fatty acid is an omega-6 highlyunsaturated fatty acid, omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acid, omega-9highly unsaturated fatty acid or combination thereof.
 5. A compositionaccording to claim 1 wherein, the omega-6 highly unsaturated fatty acidis 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (linoleic acid)18:2ω6,6,9,12-octadecatrienoic acid (γ-linolenic acid)18:3ω6,8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid (dihomo-γ-linolenic acid)20:3ω6,5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (arachidonic acid)20:4ω6,7,10,13,16-docosatetraenoic acid 22:4ω6 or4,7,10,13,16-docosapentaenoic acid 22:5ω6.
 6. A composition according toclaim 1 wherein, the omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acid is9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid (α-linolenic acid)18:3ω3,6,9,12,15-octadecatetraenoic acid (stearidonic acid)18:4ω3,11,14,17-eicosatrienoic acid (dihomo-α-linolenic acid)20:3ω3,8,11,14,17-eicosatetraenoic acid20:4ω3,5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentaenoic acid20:5ω3,7,10,13,16,19-docosapentaenoic acid 22:5ω3 or4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid 22:6ω3.
 7. A composition accordingto claim 1 wherein, the omega-9 highly unsaturated fatty acid is6,9-octadecadienoic acid 18:2ω9,8,11-eicosadienoic acid 20:2ω9 or5,8,11-eicosatrienoic acid (Mead acid) 20:3ω9.
 8. A compositionaccording to claim 1 wherein, the triglyceride having for a constituentfatty acid an omega-6 highly unsaturated fatty acid is extracted frommicrobial cells obtained by culturing a microbe belonging to the genusMortierella.
 9. A composition according to claim 1 wherein, thetriglyceride having for a constituent fatty acid an omega-3 highlyunsaturated fatty acid is fish oil.
 10. A composition according to claim1 wherein, the carotenoid is β-carotene, β-carotene, α-cryptoxanthin,β-cryptoxanthin, γ-carotene, lycopene, lutein, fucoxanthin, capsanthin,zeaxanthin, phytofluene, phytoene, canthaxanthin or astaxanthin.
 11. Acomposition according to claim 1 wherein, the ratio of carotenoid tohighly unsaturated fatty acid that composes oil is 0.00001 to 0.1.
 12. Acomposition according to claim 11 wherein, the ratio of carotenoid tohighly unsaturated fatty acid that composes oil is 0.0001 to 0.01.
 13. Acomposition according to claim 12 wherein, the ratio of carotenoid tohighly unsaturated fatty acid that composes oil is 0.001 to 0.01.
 14. Acomposition according to claim 1 wherein the composition is a functionalfood, nutritional supplement food, special health food or geriatricfood.
 15. A deodorizing method for oily odors containing a carotenoid inan oil.
 16. A deodorizing method for oily odors according to claim 15wherein, the oil is a highly unsaturated fatty acid or compoundcontaining as constituent fatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid.17. A deodorizing method for oily odors according to claim 15 wherein,the highly unsaturated fatty acid or compound containing as constituentfatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid is an alcohol ester of ahighly unsaturated fatty acid, a triglyceride having for a constituentfatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid, or a phospholipid having fora constituent fatty acid a highly unsaturated fatty acid.
 18. Adeodorizing method for oily odors according to claim 15 wherein, thehighly unsaturated fatty acid is an omega-6 highly unsaturated fattyacid, omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acid, omega-9 highly unsaturatedfatty acid or mixture thereof.
 19. A deodorizing method for oily odorsaccording to claim 15 wherein, the omega-6 highly unsaturated fatty acidis 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (linoleic acid)18:2ω6,6,9,12-octadecatrienoic acid (γ-linolenic acid)18:3ω6,8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid (dihomo-γ-linolenic acid)20:3ω6,5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (arachidonic acid)20:4ω6,7,10,13,16-docosatetraenoic acid 22:4ω6 or4,7,10,13,16-docosapentaenoic acid 22:5ω6.
 20. A deodorizing method foroily odors according to claim 15 wherein, the omega-3 highly unsaturatedfatty acid is 9,12,15-octadecatrienoic acid α-linolenic acid)18:3ω3,6,9,12,15-octadecatetraenoic acid (stearidonic acid)18:4ω3,11,14,17-eicosatrienoic acid (dihomo-α-linolenic acid)20:3ω3,8,11,14,17-eicosatetraenoic acid20:4ω3,5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentaenoic acid20:5ω3,7,10,13,16,19-docosapentaenoic acid 22:5ω3 or4,7,10,13,16,19-docosahexaenoic acid 22:6ω3.
 21. A deodorizing methodfor oily odors according to claim 15 wherein, the omega-9 highlyunsaturated fatty acid is 6,9-octadecadienoic acid18:2ω9,8,11-eicosadienoic acid 20:2ω9 or 5,8,11-eicosatrienoic acid(Mead acid) 20:3ω9.
 22. A deodorizing method for oily odors according toclaim 15 wherein, the triglyceride having for a constituent fatty acidan omega-6 highly unsaturated fatty acid is extracted from microbialcells obtained by culturing a microbe belonging to the genusMortierella.
 23. A deodorizing method for oily odors according to claim15 wherein, the triglyceride having for a constituent f
 24. A noveldeodorizing method for oily odors according to claim 15 wherein, thecarotenoid is β-carotene, α-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, α-cryptoxanthin,γ-carotene, lycopene, lutein, fucoxanthin, capsanthin, zeaxanthin,phytofluene, phytoene, canthaxanthin or astaxanthin.atty acid an omega-3highly unsaturated fatty acid is fish oil.